3 Marks of a Spirit-Led Leader

A month doesn’t go by where we don’t talk to leaders who all want to experience the same thing. They want revival, and they want to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The lion’s share of the work that we do at Spirit & Truth is centered around the work of the Holy Spirit. 

Photo by Caleb Jones on Unsplash

Yet, many leaders wrestle with the idea of being a Spirit-filled leader. 

If we are going to give this idea any real attention we begin with the assertion that the Holy Spirit is in all believers. Ephesians 1:13 reminds us of this truth: 

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

If we all have the Holy Spirit, then how do we begin to translate that assertion into the practical implementation of being a Spirit-led leader? 

Well, I believe the answer comes to us in how we see Spirit-led leaders respond in Scripture. Here are the three marks of a Spirit-led leader as I see them in Scripture. 

1. Prayerful. The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 6:18 that we are to, “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. The best leaders are praying leaders. The journey to being Spirit-led starts with a solid prayer routine. 

2. Jesus focused. I think this one is the hardest. Mostly because if we truly want to be a Spirit-led leader then the work we do should always point people back to Jesus. John 15:26 reminds us that the Spirit will bear witness about Jesus. So, with that in mind, if a leader is truly Spirit-led, that leader will be living the truth out in practice. Evaluating every decision through the lens, “Does this point people back to Jesus?” 

3. Obedient. The interesting thing about the relationship with the Holy Spirit is that if you are prayerful, and Jesus-focused the Holy Spirit will move you. Physically move you. In Matthew 4 we are reminded that Jesus was LED BY THE SPIRIT into the wilderness to be tempted. Let’s all be real for a second and acknowledge nobody wants to be led by the Spirit towards hard things.  But when we strive towards being a Spirit-Filled leader we are surrendering to the will of the Spirit in all we do. The Spirit may call us to weird and scary things, and as Spirit-led leaders, our response is obedience, and surrender. 

I’m guessing that this is more of a reminder than a revelation for most of you. Yet, it is in the reminders that the Spirit convicts in the areas where maybe we have space to grow. Like so many attributes of our faith, there is no quick fix, just long-term discipline in prayer, being Jesus-focused, and obedience.

There is more coming, so stay tuned!